Oystering

Marine Fisheries

The American oyster (Crassostrea virginica) is one of the more valuable resources of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.  It provides a livelihood for a number of oystermen and satisfies many Gulf Coast appetites.  The oyster is often grouped with shrimp and crabs under the term shellfish, but the oyster is no relation to either.   It is a bivalve mollusk with two shell valves hinged together at one end and closed by a single, large muscle attached to the valves at the other end.

You can find oysters in shallow waters that rapidly change in temperature and salinity.   The Department of Marine Resources manages 17 natural oyster reefs .   Approximately 97% of the commercially harvested oysters in Mississippi come from the reefs in the western Mississippi Sound, primarily from Pass Marianne, Telegraph and Pass Christian reefs.

Before oystering, a recreational or commercial license must be bought at the Department of Marine Resources.  Harvesting oysters is done primarily by tonging or dredging.  An oysterman can use a set of tongs to scoop oysters off the bottom of the Mississippi Sound.  Tongs resemble two rakes attached by two 15-foot poles that work like scissors and catch 40 oysters at best.  An oyster dredge can be used to pick up as many as 200 oysters.  The dredge is a basket attached to a toothed bar.  It is dragged by boat over a reef and oysters are scraped off the bottom by the bar, caught in the basket, and then hauled aboard.

Oysters may be taken only from those waters approved safe for shellfish harvest by the Commission on Marine Resources.  The harvesting, shucking, processing and sale of oysters must also conform to all state regulations.  Following rainfall, oyster reefs may be temporarily closed to oystering when poor water conditions exist.  Important information about the opening and closing of reefs is available here or by calling the 24 hour DMR hot-line.

Sure you can find a natural pearl in a Mississippi oyster.  The process begins when sand grains, shell fragments or other particles become embedded within the mantle tissue.  Mantle cells stick to such a particle and are trapped within the mantle tissue.  These cells continue to secrete around the particle and form a pearl.   An American oyster lacks the ingredient in its secretion to form the mother-of-pearl coating that gives the luster of a true pearl.  Therefore, its pearl, although interesting, is not valuable and is often misshapen.

Oysters are good to eat all year long, but are in best condition and most tasty in the winter and early spring.  No gutting or grilling is necessary to eat an oyster, the meat can be completely consumed.  It is one of the few foods that can be eaten raw.   This coast cuisine can be eaten on the half shell, fried, smoked, baked, and broiled and can be found in stew, soup, gumbo, dressing and seafood casseroles and on the menus of most local seafood restaurants.    

Rebuilding Mississippi's Oyster Reefs Newsletter 2009 (691 KB)

Oyster Newsletter (4 MB)

Oyster Reefs Map

Consumer Information Message

• As in the case with consuming other raw animal protein products, there is a risk associated with consuming raw oysters, clams and mussels.  If you suffer from chronic illness of the liver, stomach, or blood, or have immune disorders, do not eat these products raw.
  

In the shell

• Bring water to a rolling boil. Place live oysters in boiling water. Continue boiling for three to five minutes after shells open. Use small pots to boil or steam oysters. Do not cook too many oysters in the same pot, because oysters placed in the middle of the pot may not get fully cooked. If an oyster's shell does not open during cooking, discard the shell.
  

• A steamer should be steaming prior to placing oysters in it. Steam live oysters four to nine minutes

Shucked

• Boil for at least three minutes (until edges curl).
• Fry in oil for at least three minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Broil three inches from heat for three minutes.
• Bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Additional information is available online from the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference Web site at www.issc.org . "Mississippi Oyster Seafood Safety" brochures are available at the DMR.